SVA never stops serving

Student Veterans of America’s members are all about getting involved and serving the community and their campus even after taking off the uniform.

ETSU’s SVA chapter, and the more than 1,300 others like it, are student organizations that have formed on college campuses to provide peer-to-peer networks for veterans attending those schools.

Members advocate for student veterans and help them in their campus-to-career transition. They coordinate outreach events both on campus and out in the community, encourage networking and provide common ground for student veterans in the world of higher education. SVA chapters and their members are dedicated to ensuring that every veteran is successful after their service.

There are currently 767 students on campus who have some relation to the military, meaning they are either a veteran or the dependent or spouse of a veteran. They are all served by ETSU’s Office of Veterans Affairs, but SVA President Sam Groomes says he wishes more students on campus knew about the office and his organization.

“We do our profession in silence because our job is not to put ourselves out there to receive praise,” said Groomes. “We’re not here to say, ‘I did that,’ but to keep on with our mission. Freedom isn’t free, and at the end of the day, we are always asking ourselves what other tasks we could be doing to help others.”

While the organization is currently trying to increase membership and have a larger social media presence, they are active on campus. They are currently collecting Toys for Tots donations on campus in partnership with the Marine Reserves in Gray. There is a donation bin on campus at the MARC center in Yoakley Hall and at the Hooters restaurant in Johnson City.

The organization hopes to grow and continue to get involved on campus.

“The more it grows, the more people you can delegate,” said Groomes. “We just need people to spread the word as we look ahead and plan where we want to be in the next few years. In the meantime, we will continue to serve.”

Their next meeting will be held Dec. 2 at 4 p.m. in the MARC center in Yoakley Hall. Veterans and non-veterans alike are invited to join.